


Back In Black

by Xaurnel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, I started running out of steam at the end as you can see, I wrote this my last few days in rehab, Unedited from my journal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 08:00:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10080413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xaurnel/pseuds/Xaurnel
Summary: Sirius black fully expected to be placed in Slytherin. This was in his mind as he packed, biting at him the entire time. Now that he was on the platform he saw a mother and father kneeling down to hug and kiss their embarrassed son goodbye. Jealousy flared up in his heart and he looked up at his nanny. His parents, of course, weren't there. Not that he wanted them to be. That would be disastrous. He didn't say anything about his nerves. A Black was never afraid... But he was.





	

Year 1

 

Sirius black fully expected to be placed in Slytherin. This was in his mind as he packed, biting at him the entire time. The feeling still gnawed at his gut as his nanny guided him through the mass of people moving through the platform. She carried his trunk despite his protests. She knew very well that her mistress would somehow find out if she didn’t follow her instructions. Sirius looked into the crowd of parents and children. He saw a mother and father kneeling down to hug and kiss their embarrassed son goodbye. He felt a flare of jealousy.

 

His nanny placed his trunk on the brink flooring with a dull thud. She forced a smile, exposing her tiny yellow teeth under grey withered lips and spoke with a thick accent, “Roight, ma young massta. ‘ere we are. A ‘undred galleons ta tide ye over on the train. Mistress was quite kind ta give ya-“ She subtly cringed, “A lil bit o’ pocket money. Pouch is in ya front pocket, an’ here’s tha ticket.” She said and gave him the paper slip.

 

Sirius nodded and took it, picking up his heavy trunk with his other hand. He didn’t say anything to his nanny. He didn’t mention he was scared. A Black was never afraid… But he was. He was both grateful and worried to go to Hogwarts.

 

The train let out a shrill whisle to signal it was time to board or be left behind. Sirius shuffled his way through the excited gaggle of first through seventh years. People bumped into his side and would trod over his feet. This drew a snarl from him. Did they not know who he was?

 

“First years! First years! This way! Carts eight though ten, please!” A conductor cried.

 

He pushed his way between a reunited fifth and sixth year that were holding hands to force his way up to the front. He wouldn’t share a compartment. Other students scolded and jeered at his rudeness as he forced his way to the front of the line.

 

Every damn compartment was full. He looked back and forth from room to room. Tey were all full of smiling and laughing eleven year olds. The first cart was full and he begrudgingly moved to cart nine. He peered into every compartment. He saw a stringy, greasy haired boy sitting by himself. His hooked nose was buried in the seventh edition of Hogwarts, a History. He imagined his greasy skin leaving oily marks on the pages.

 

Sirius threw open the compartment door, “Out.” He growled.

 

“W-What?” The unkempt boy asked and looked up while lowering his book. Sirius had  been right. Grease stains were pressed against the paper.

 

“You heard me. Get out of here before I _make_ you get out!” Sirius hissed.

 

“But… I was here first!” He protested.

 

He took a menacing step forward. The other boy squeaked. The boy scrambled to take his trunk and cleared from the cart.

 

Sirius sighed in relief and plopped down onto the seat opposite of the one the sniveler had been seated in. He glanced over at the window and wrinkled his nose. There was a clear outline of his forehead and a large, hooked nose.

 

Gross.

 

He wrapped his robes around himself like a blanket and took in the silence. It was rare for him not to hear someone screaming at something, the sobbing of house elves, or his mother shrilly criticizing him. The quiet was short, however. He was yanked out of his thoughts when the door flew open and a scruffy boy tumbled in and shoved his trunk up onto the rack. He flopped down on the seat where the ugly boy had been sitting and grinned at Sirius.

 

“Hullo,” He said and brushed his already messy hair out of his eyes, “The other compartments were full. You don’t mind, right?”

 

Sirius opened his mouth to tell him that yes, he very much minded, but the boy continued.

 

“I’m James. You?

 

“… Sirius.”

 

James again pushed his black fringe out of his eyes, “What house are you in?”

 

He gestured to his empty breast, “None of us have a house yet if you haven’t noticed.” Sirius said.

 

James rolled his eyes, “Well, duh. I mean- what house do you think you’ll be in?”

 

“Slytherin.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because my family has been for generations.”

 

“You don’t seem like the type.”

 

“What do you think slytherins are like?”

 

“Well, they’re assholes.”

 

“I’m an asshole.”

 

“They don’t know how to talk to other houses without being a dick. You’re talking to me.”

 

“What house do you think you’ll be in?”

 

“Gryffindor!”

 

Sirius snorted and closed his eyes while he leaned back into his seat, “You strike me as a hufflepuff.”

 

“I take that back. Maybe you are a dick.”

 

He opened his mouth to respond when the door slid open. A boy slipped in and dropped his trunk on the floor. He seemed too exhausted to heave it up onto the luggage holder. He plopped down on the bench seat closet to the door and curled up under his cloak. Only a bit of his mousy brown hair could be seen.

 

Sirius and James looked at the boy in mild shock.

 

‘R.J. LUPIN’ The trunk proclaimed in large golden text.

 

“Is he asleep?” James asked.

 

Sirius moved over on the bench and prodded at the other boy. The result was a soft snore.

 

“… Yep.”

 

“Do we wake him up?”

 

“Three’s a crowd.”

 

James nodded and swung his legs. They were a bit too short to reach the ground.

 

The two, now three students shuffled through the crowd. First years were huddled together, terrified by the gigantic man holding a lantern. He was close to eight feet tall with a short, scraggly beard and wild black hair. He seemed to have a huge moleskin coat on and fully button even in the August heat.

 

“Firs’ years!” The man roared, “Firs’ years, this way ta tha boats!”

 

Sirius clutched the long sleeves of his black cloak. Anxiety welled up in his throat and made his heart beat faster. His future would be decided less than two hours. His fate would be old by an ugly old hat.

 

James was talking through his nerves and his excitement. Sirius wasn’t even sure he was saying actual words. Sounds, more like. The other boy, Remus, still hadn’t spoken. He seemed fairly ill. His face was pale and gaunt. He stumbled along as if exhausted despite a three hour nap.

 

Sirius glanced up at the sky. He missed the full moon the night before. Did they have astronomy classes here? They must.

 

The first years made their way down the moat through the thick dewy grass. James sneered in distaste as the hem of his robes grew wet. Waves licked at the gravel shores and glimmered in the waning moon. A dozen rowboats rocked gently. The large, hairy man stepped into the boat in the middle. Sirius cringed as the wooden boat creaked under his massive weight. It didn’t give way.

 

He hitched up his robes and waded the few inches of water to clamber into the boats He had to grip the side, which came up to his waist. The giant had made the dingys seem so much smaller. James had the coat come up to his ribcage. He grunted and furrowed his brow as he stumbled.

 

“Need a hand?” Sirius sneered.

 

James nodded and held out his right hand. Sirius grasped it and pulled his first acquaintance into the boat. When he finally stumbled in the dingy rocked and sloshed the water around it. Other students climbed into the boats, all complaining about the dampness on the inside of the boats and their sopping wet socks sliding around in their unbroken leather shoes. The sickly looking boy was not among them.

 

“Right! Forward!” The man called out in a booming voice. The small boats all released from their solitary positions. The sudden movement knocked about them all and many were forced to sit down on the small builtin benches.

 

He decided to sit down on the damp spongey wood before he could be further pushed around and possibly overboard. The water seeped through his cloak, pants, underwear, and chilled his bare skin. Sitting on the edge allowed him to look over the side and see the water. In the night the water was jet black and rippled like ink. He watched the moons rays dance on the dark surface. The darkness was interrupted by something thick and fleshy darting up to breach the water. It was small, and only for a second. If he had blinked, he would have missed it. Sirius peered over the edge to look into the water when something snaked out.

 

It was big, and pink, and reaching for another boat. He watched, stunned, as it grabbed the skirt of an unsuspecting redheaded girl. She shrieked and hit the tentacle. It jerked back as if it was offended and slithered back into the murky depths.

 

The students erupted int an excited buzz.

 

“Did you see that? The squid!” A girl in his boat squealed. She had long, dirty blonde hair to her waist and large glasses that made her already wide eyes seem huge.

 

“Squid?”

 

“My dad told me! There’s a giant squid in the lake!”

 

“Malarkey!”

 

“Well how else do you explain it?!”

 

A few of the other students continued to bicker until a booming voice called out, “LAND HO!”

 

They all, including Sirius, scrambled forward to see a magnificent castle scraping the sky with its winding towers. It was dark, looming, menacing, and filled observers with awe.

 

The boats came to a grinding halt. Sirius wobbled and grabbed onto James for support so he wouldn’t fall into the water. He was still cold and wet from wading through the ankle deep water just to get to the boats on the other side of the bank. Now they walked the winding path to the castle.

 

Sirius thought about how all his forefathers had walked this exact road. How they had all been sentenced to a life of hatred through their house. A pit fell in his stomach.

 

 

“Gryffindor! Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff! Slytherin! Ravenclaw!” The sorting hat cried out as it was placed on child after child. In delight they all ran to their proper house tables and were each greeted by thunderous applause.

 

James, as he had been expecting, had been sorted into Gryffindor. He sat, grinning from ear to ear, with his peers.

 

The hooked nosed sniveler had been sorted into Slytherin. He cringed at the thought of possibly rooming with him.

 

“Sirius Black.” A bespecaled woman holding a large scroll called out.

 

James flashed him a thumbs up.

 

Sirius’ heart pounded in his ears as he approached the stool. This was it. He was now to become like the rest of his miserable family. He sat down and shifted uncomfortably. The old leather was plopped unceremoniously upon his head and slid down his ears to leave him swallowed in darkness.

 

“ _Hmmm…”_ A voice hummed in his mind, “ _Another Black, I see. I had when the next of the clan would arrive. Well… The clear answer would be to place you in Slytherin.”_

 

His heart clenched, “ _No._ ” He thought.

 

“ _No?_ ” The voice inside repeated, “ _Then I suppose I have no choice but to place you in…”_

“GRYFFINDOR!” The voice he had heard in his head boomed aloud.

 

Gryffindor roared and cheered. He stood up once the hat had been removed, deeply in shock, and walked down the steps. Sirius stumbled down the steps after catching his foot on his cloak. Laughter reached his ears, but he didn’t care. He was greeted with handshakes, hugs, and firm claps on the back.

 

James waved wildly to gesture him over. Sirius plopped down beside him, grinning from ear to ear. His relatives at the Slytherin table seemed to be shocked and whispered amongst each other.

 

He didn’t care.

 

He was _FREE_.


End file.
